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Today's post is a bit of a rant.  It's an updated rant from a few years ago.  I've dropped a few annoyances off the list (because they don't happen as much as they used to) and added a few new annoyances that seem to be in vogue.   Everything I rant about below I have really suffered through on actual artist websites.  So I apologize in advance for the following rant......

[RANT BEGINS]

DO NOT DO THE FOLLOWING THINGS ON YOUR ARTIST WEBSITE:

1.  Right Click disablers
People aren't trying to steal your web-quality images, but you're really annoying the rest of us who use the right-click for all kinds of options, including navigating websites.  (By the way, people can get your images even if you have a right-click disabler....so why have it?)

2. Flash
Oh please,please,please don't use flash, Don't make me wait for stuff to load.  Plus having to use flash's annoying little scroll bars to read text is really, really annoying when we have a technology that works great for text called html.  Also, flash really sucks on a mobile device.

3.  Excessive Javascript
This is similar to flash - don't make things animate, jump around.  Don't override regular html links and make them javascript links.  Just keep it simple and let your artwork shine.  (It's OK to use a little bit for statistics trackers and the like).

4. Out of date information
Please don't make me read about the exhibits you had in 2002 on a "current exhibits" page.  I'll just wonder if you've done anything since then.  Make sure your information is current please.  Also, make sure you have an easy system to keep your artwork portfolio current.  We want to see your newest work.  At FASO, we make posting new art dead-simple, and, as a bonus, we have a system that will automatically notify your fans when you post something new, so you don't even have to spend time sending an email or posting to a blog.  Oh, and, by the way, we also remove past exhibits from your "current exhibits" automatically.

5. Blurry images
If I'm actually going to purchase your artwork, it would be nice to know what your artwork actually looks like.  In this day and age of "shot on an iPhone" there really is no excuse for sub-par photography.

6.  Hard to Find Navigation Links
Please just use plain text html navigation links.  I'm not impressed that you can make your links look "shiny." 

7.  No Prices
Don't make me guess how much to pay you....because I'm not going to.  You're running a business, so post your prices.  

8.  Unreadable Text
Please make your text large, and with enough contrast to easily read.

9. Unlinkable artworks

This drives me crazy:  I find a gallery of artworks on your site.  One-by-one, I take the time to view them until I find one I really like.  Now I want to email a link directly to this artwork to my wife.  But I can't because the gallery was created with some fancy pants javascript plugin (this is very common with Wordpress).  So now, if I want to show this artwork to my wife, I have to tell her "go to the artists site, click on artworks, start at the first one, click next 14 times..."  Yeah, I'm not going to do that.  And I'm not going to buy your artwork without my wife on board with it.  So please, just make sure every artwork has a unique URL.

10.  Separating your "portfolio" and your "store"

Don't make me go to one area of your site to view your artwork and another area to purchase it.  Just make it one big seamless experience.  I should be able to view your artwork and then, if I find one I love, I should be able to buy it from the same place where I'm viewing it.  I suspect this distinction happens when artists try to "shoehorn" an artist's needs into a generic ecommerce platform.  Pony up and get a real  art website - they don't cost any more (and often cost less) than the generic website platforms.

11.  No contact info.

I love your art.  But now I can't get in touch with you.  That is supremely frustrating.  At BoldBrush, we've actually wanted to sponsor artists who we can't get in touch with, so we give up.

12.  Pop-overs

Please do not make me stop looking at your beautiful art to put up a pop-over advertisement for your newsletter in my face.  After I enjoy your art, if I'm interested, I'll sign up for your newsletter or follow you in a way that works for me.

[RANT ENDS]

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Clint Watson

FASO Founder, Software Craftsman, Art Fanatic

PS - Other things that are annoying that I dropped out of the top 12 list above because they are not as common anymore.  Someday I hope there's nothing in my top 12 list!

* Resizing the Browser Window

Do not resize my browser window.  I use a tabbed browser that fills my whole screen and keep several tabs open simultaneously.  If you resize my browser window, it messes everything up and I will leave and never ever purchase your artwork.

* Huge High-resolution images for backgrounds
In fact, don't use anything except a color for the background.  Why do you want to clutter up the page?  You wouldn't hang one of your artworks on top of another one of your artworks in real life.....so don't do it online!

*  Music
This isn't a gallery opening.  Please don't make me listen to the music you like.  If I want to visit your site while listening to heavy metal....let me.

*  Broken Links
If links don't work, then why have them?  I don't have all day to figure our where you meant for links to point.